David Halberstam's widow said Tuesday that she was not upset that the UC Berkeley graduate student behind the wheel in the crash that killed the Pulitzer Prize-winning author will probably avoid jail time, but she urged him to enroll in a "high-level, professional driving school."

Journalism graduate student Kevin Jones, 27, pleaded no contest Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in connection with the April 23 crash in Menlo Park. Under a plea deal, he faces a maximum of 30 days in the sheriff's work program.

Judge Mark Forcum said he will "seriously consider" ordering community service when Jones is sentenced Feb. 14, coupled with five to 10 days in the sheriff's program, which entails no overnight jail time.

In the absence of a deal, Jones had faced up to a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine on the single misdemeanor charge filed against him. He is free on his own recognizance.

The author's widow, Jean Halberstam, said she hoped Jones' sentence would address his history of driving citations.

"I've never thought it important for there to be any jail time served," she said by phone from New York. "What I have always wanted from the start is for two things: for (Jones) to lose his license for a goodly amount of time ... and for him to voluntarily go to a high-level, professional driving school."

Jones was involved in two accidents before the collision that killed David Halberstam, 73, records show. One was a multi-vehicle accident in March 2005 in Oakland in which Jones was determined to be the driver most at fault. The other was in March 2006 in Berkeley and appeared to be minor.

Jones was also cited for speeding in Oregon about a month after the crash that killed Halberstam, DMV records show. His license was suspended in October for being a "negligent operator," according to the DMV.

"Rather than getting a speeding ticket in Oregon a month after the accident, I'd be much more impressed if he would do something like learning how to be a good and safe driver," Jean Halberstam said.

Jones was not in court in Redwood City on Tuesday, and entered his plea through his attorney. He did not return a call seeking comment.

His attorney, Laurel Headley, declined to comment on the plea as she left court.

Deputy District Attorney Shin-Mee Chang said the potential sentence was appropriate, given the circumstances of the crash.

"Whether he killed a homeless person or somebody of Mr. Halberstam's stature, that is not at all a factor in charging or anything else," Chang said.

"We don't look to the status of the victim but to the quantum of negligence that was involved. That's why it was filed as a misdemeanor."

Halberstam was in the front passenger seat of Jones' Toyota Camry when the car was broadsided at Bayfront Expressway and Willow Road in Menlo Park, near the Dumbarton Bridge. Prosecutors contend Jones ran a red turn arrow and drove into oncoming traffic.

Halberstam had given a journalism school-sponsored talk at UC Berkeley two days before the crash. Jones agreed to drive the author to Mountain View for an interview Halberstam had scheduled with NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle for his next book.